While the opening minutes of the first episode doesn’t seem too unusual, the second half of the premiere may change your mind. It’s not every day we get to see a guy getting caught masturbating in anime after all. But backtracking a bit, it also became clear the show wanted to make a story about characters growing up. The adolescence experience is a complex journey and for our main characters, they want to make the most of it. High school student Niina Sugawura makes her intention clear when she declares her intention of experiencing sex. In probably the bluntest way possible, this anime isn’t intent in hiding its adulthood culture. In fact, it’s easy to look at this anime with some controversy from the start.
The staff in charge of this anime includes script writer and original creator, Mari Okada. To me, this wasn’t a surprise considering the amount of drama that blew up as every episode progressed. Initially, it all began with the curiosity about sex. Then, it transformed into a plot about the characters wanting to grow up and experiencing it. Okada gives an appropriate tone with her writing by adding elements of drama at any chance possible. To do this, there’s plot with blackmail, dark troubling background stories, and various school drama shenanigans. However, this anime doesn’t hit home with its emotional drama, at least from a storytelling perspective. While some of her previous projects can be tearjerkers, Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo never once managed to make me feel emotional about its plot or character drama. As far as teenage romantic drama premises go, the series does seem to show some promise to craft realistic ideas. Spawned from curiosity, the Literature Club seeks to learn about sex as much as possible. Don’t take this as a sex education though. The anime sells the idea of adolescence with the characters growing up. Sex is just part of that process. In the meantime, the anime’s script goes through phases of letting characters experiment with their own ways of growing up.
While each character in the series has their own personality, most of them all fall under the ‘teenager syndrome’. In other words, they are constantly changing with puberty playing a prominent role. Characters experience a variety of feelings ranging from jealousy, sadness, anger, and other common mood swings. But don’t take this anime as some sort of psychological study. This takes the direction in tone with coming of age style of story presentation. Likewise, I believe the character cast all must learn about themselves before they grow up into adults. The main character, Kazusa Onodera, shows signs of fear in early episodes. Due to her infatuation with her childhood friend Izumi Norimoto, she has trouble breaking out of the friend zone. As part of a love triangle, Niina begins to develop feelings towards Izumi after growing to understand him. The anime pits the three characters into a romance angle that tests the limits of their feelings. Does this seem like trashy soap opera-esque writing? The answer is yes and no. With the growing amount of love in the show, we have to come and understand why characters feel the way they do. The anime does a decent job at showing this but sometimes fall short on overall execution. I won’t spoil it but it’s easy to point fingers at certain character behaviors and their how they feel attraction towards the opposite sex. One example is Hitoha Hongou, a novelist who develops feelings for an older man. The anime doesn’t commit much on their character relationship other than based on how Hongou wants to pursue a relationship with him. It’s the type of character drama that show little improvement and lacks importance to her overall growth as a teen. On the other hand, I do feel it’s worth getting invested by the main love triangle between Kazusa, Izumi, and Niina. While childhood romance dramas can be very cliché, this show contains a degree of realism that touches on more sensible subjects. Blending between the line of childhood romance and genophobia, you have to wonder how far the anime commits to its romance elements. However, do also be aware that the anime itself sometimes isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. This is especially true in early stages with the amount of jokes reinforcing the idea of “sex is evil”.
With a cast of teenagers on hormones, you have to also wonder how much the anime planned to develop each character individually. At its very base form, characters hopes to break out of their shell and become adults. Some even undergoes physical changes such as the case of Rika Sonezaki when she gets rid of her glasses after being told she looks beautiful without them. Others develop a more psychological change such as the case of Momoko Sudou. If you don’t believe me, just look at how she begins to see other girls in a different way, in particular Sugawara. To be honest, I think these type of character behaviors are common norm in our society. We all undergo changes especially during high school years. It’s during those years that characters experience growth in countless ways. Otherwise, I also find many of the characters relatable to us. Whether it’s speaking through their actions or personalities, there’s no doubt you’ve countered similar people in your life.
With a variety of projects under their umbrella, Lay-duce made this anime look and feel like what it is – a teenage romance drama. Character designs looks polished that makes the most of its character expressions. In fact, it’s especially important for this anime to bring out character expressions to show how they feel. Other times, I do feel the anime may be over the top with the way characters reactions, in particular Kazusa. The fear of sexuality hits hard that is all over her face. Some viewers may even wonder if she needs professional help. But on most parts, this anime managed to bring out the most of its animation qualities by illustrating character behaviors. Similarly, I do want to praise on the voice cast. It made me understand more about the cast’s personalities on more relatable terms.
Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo isn’t a niche anime but it can be a bit different than what people realize. While the initial first episodes can generate some controversy, it does manage to capture the elements of a romance drama. Love is probably a subject humankind will never truly understand. For the characters in this show, they took the first steps in becoming adults and at the same time, trying to experience sex and love.
